Remote-control device for outboard motors



Filed Jan. 19, 1951 2 SHEETSShEET 1 O 28, 1952 J. w. ASPENLEITER 2,615,418

REMOTE-CONTROL DEVICE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS 28, 1952 J. w. ASPENLEITER ,6 5,418

REMOTE-CONTROL DEVICE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed Jan. 19, 1951 2 SHEETS-SEE! 2 a INVENTOR.

27 dosqah/iaflspe/zleter 28 29 i QMSMEHES A T TOIZNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT oF-Fics' REMOTE-CONTROL DEVICE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Joseph W. Aspenleiter, Caledonia, N. Y.

Application January 19, 1951, SerialNo. 206,897

This invention relates to outboard motors for boats and more particularly it has reference to means whereby the boat-may be steered and the speedof the motor controlled from points remote from the motor, such as the forward portion of the boat, for example.

It is frequently desirable to be able to steer the boat and control the speed of the motor from a point about midway between the rear and front of a boat equipped with an outboard motor. When fishing from a boat, for example, the fisherman usually sits about midway of the length of the boat and hence from this position he should be able to not only steer the boat but also control its speed.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved device which may be attached .to an outboard motor andwhich will enable the operator to steer and control the motor from points remote from the motor.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described which will be simple in structure, efiicient in operation and adapted to be detachably secured to outboard motors with a minimum of labor and expense.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described which may be adjustably secured to an outboard motor so as to selectively position the operating handle relative to the longitudinal axis of the boat.

Still another object is to provide such a, device in which the operating handle may be swung up out of the way when not in use.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will herein after be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my device attached to an outboard motor in position of use on a boat.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view showing the relation of the parts when the handle is swung up out of operative position.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the drawings wherein l indicates, generally, an outboard motor of conventional form having housing I l which carries the motor and is mounted by clamps 12 to the rear end IA of the boat. The housing H is pivoted to turn 3 Claims. (01. 1i518) about a vertical axis so that the boat may be steered in the usual manner.

The housing H has the two laterally extending lugs l5, l6 which are connected, respectively, to the arms l1, l8 by means of bolts 19 passing through slots 20 formed in the arms. The two adjacent ends of the arms I! and iii are connected to the respective sides of the brackets 2| by bolts 22. Pivotally mounted on bracket 2| to swing about the horizontal axis pin 23 is the casing 24 having a bearing portion 25 within whichis rotatably mounted the shaft 26 having the tubular handle 21 detachably secured thereto by bayonet connector 21'. A handle extension .28 carrying knob 29 is slidably mounted within handle 2! and is keyed thereto by means ofthe pin 38 which coacts with slot 3! in handle 21.

Fixed to the inner end of shaft 25 is the bevel gear 32 which coacts with another bevel gear 33 carried on the inner end of the shaft 34 which is rotatably mounted in casing 24. The outer end of shaft 34 fixedly carries the drum or pulley 35. A flexible cable 36, such as a rope is wound around pulley 35 with the end portions of the cable extending, respectively, around the idler pulleys 31 and 38 carried on pins 39 and 40 secured to the outer ends of arms I! and I8. The cable 36 is pulled taut and has its two end portions secured to the motor throttle 4| by means of a clamp 42. The bracket 2| has an integral tubular member 43 within which is located a compression spring 44 so that the top end of the spring 44 is yieldably engaged by the inner face of casing 24 when the latter is in the usual operating position shown in Figs. 1-3.

In operation, my device is attached to an outboard motor housing by means of bolts which pass through slots in the arms I! and. I8. With this construction, the device may be adjustably attached to the housing so as to selectively position the handle 21 relative to the axis of the boat. Thus the handle 21 may be located substantially along the central axis of the boat or it may be located either to the right or to the left, depending upon the desire of the operator.

Since the handle 2! is carried by the casing 24 and it in turn is attached to the motor housing II by arms I! and I8, it will be obvious that the handle 21, or its extension 28, may be moved laterally for the purpose of steering the boat in the usual manner. Rotation of the-knob 29 will cause turning of the pulley 35 and consequent movement of the flexible cable 36 so as to move the motor throttle 4|. When the device is not in use,

the handle may be telescoped and the attached casing 24 swung up about the axis 23 so that the handle will assume a substantially vertical position, as shown in Fig. 4. When the handle is brought down into operative position, the casing engages the top of spring 44 so that the handle is yieldably supported.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide a simple yet efficient device which can be detachably secured to outboard motors so as to enable control of the motor and steering of the boat from points remote from the motor. My device is compact and simple in structure and can be readily attached to various types of motor housings. Various modifications can obviously be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an outboard motor having a housing, means for mounting the housing on a boat for movement for steering about a vertical axis and a movable throttle for controlling the motor, the combination of a bracket, a pair of arms respectively connecting the sides of the bracket to the adjacent sides of the housing, said arms having slots, a handle carried by the bracket and adapted to project towards the front of the boat whereby the housing may be turned about said axis for steering the boat, said arms being connected to the housing by bolts passing through slots in the arms whereby the bracket may be adjusted so as to selectively position the handle relative to the longitudinal axisof the boat.

2. In an outboard motor having a housing and a movable throttle for controlling the motor, the combination of a bracket, a pair of slotted arms connecting the respective sides of the bracket to the housing by bolts passing through the slots, a pulley carried by the bracket to turn about a vertical axis, an idler pulley on the end of each arm remote from the bracket, a flexible cable Wound around the first named pulley having its two end portions extending around the respective idler pulleys and secured to the throttle, a handle movably carried by the bracket and motion transmitting means operably connecting the handle to the first named pulley whereby motion of the handle will move the throttle.

3. In an outboard motor having a housing and a movable throttle for controlling the motor, the combination of a bracket carried by the housing, a casing movably mounted on the bracket, a handle rotatably carried by the casing and projecting towards the front of the boat whereby the boat may be steered, means for transmitting rotary motion of the handle so as to move the throttle, said casing being mounted to turn about a horizontal axis whereby the handle may be selectively adjufled to either a substantially vertical or horizontal position, and a spring carried by the bracket in position to support the casing when the latter is in a substantially horizontal position whereby the downward movement of the handle will be yieldably limited.

JOSEPH W. ASPENLEITER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,800,638 Kopke Apr. 14, 1931 1,843,272 Evinrude Feb. 2, 1932 1,932,521 Irgens Oct. 31, 1933 2,508,803 Schroeder May 23, 1933 

